I'm turning into one of those people.
I've had a dog for two days, and already, I can't fathom having a conversation about anything other than her. I'm hoping it's just because of the newness of my status as a puppy parent and that I won't have to rename this blog something like, "A Dog's Life" or "Stella, Stella, Everything Stella." But right now, I can't help talking about her every chance I get and sharing what I've learned, which has been quite a bit in the last 24 hours. And the lessons came from someone I hadn't really considered consulting before -- Stella herself.
As I wrote yesterday, the night before last was pretty tough. The puppy kept crying in her crate, and we just didn't know what to do. Should we cuddle her so she knows she's loved and safe? Should we ignore her so she stops? Everyone had a different idea. Exasperated, we asked the vet last night, and although she urged us to speak to a behaviorist to get better information, she reiterated to us that Stella won't want to go potty where she sleeps and that perhaps when she was crying, she wasn't asking for attention; she was trying to tell us she needed to go out.
I hadn't really considered that before, although I'm mentally slapping my forehead now. I just sort of assumed that she was lonely and wanted to be picked up; I didn't think she would have understood the concept of where it was OK to go. But the vet's suggestion made a lot of sense, so last night, I decided to get up and take her outside whenever I heard her whimper. It happened twice, and both times, she had a successful trip outside. And compared to the night before, there was very little whining when she went back into her crate. Even when we have her out of the crate, she's much more willing and able to entertain herself, so I think she's feeling much more comfortable in her new home.
We still have some work to do. For example, we're still having a little trouble making the connection between potty and outside; right now, she only understands potty and not-in-the-crate. But I have confidence that we'll get there, and I'm pretty sure Stella does too. She's already proving herself eager to learn.
Late last night, she decided to try out the stairs. She's too little to climb them, so when we take her out, we've been carrying her up and down from our condo to the outside door, but when I brought her in the outside door last night, with no prompting at all, she bolted for the stairs. With a running start, she had just enough momentum to launch herself onto the first step. She wasn't able to hoist herself onto the next one, but each time we've taken her out, she's tried just a little harder. What made her want to do that I don't really know; I did sort of walk her up a stair or two once, just to see if she'd be willing to try, but when I did, she had no interest. I guess after she'd thought about it for awhile, she decided she was ready.
I am very encouraged today. I know we still have a long way to go, but with such vast improvements in just one day, I'm feeling good. My husband, who gets the "day shift" because he can more easily stop in at home, is still a bit nervous. I'm hoping Stella goes easy on him today. I know she'll do her best. She's a very smart girl, and she's turning out to be a fun little pup.
So maybe I am turning into "one of those people," but for now, I'm OK with that. Stella needs all the attention we can give her in these formative weeks and months, and if she continues to improve just a little each day, perhaps it won't be too long until I'm able to acknowledge that there is a world out there. I'm hoping the same is true for my husband, who has spent most of his time in the past two days worrying about the puppy. Yesterday, he was so exhausted that when I got home from work, I found him watching "Friends," a show he once insisted I never make him watch. The dog was sitting on a blanket at his feet, napping contentedly. I flopped down next to him and snuggled up to him, something I hadn't been able to do since we brought the puppy home, since one of us was always chasing after her. And for the first time in two days, I felt like we just might get to a "normal" place sooner than I'd thought. Then he said it.
"You smell like Stella."
Oh well. I guess all good things take time.
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